Clubs (version 2)

Contributed by Daniel Clements (eiji129_37@hotmail.com)

There are four players. Thirteen cards are dealt to each player from a standard 52-card pack.

• The holder of two of diamonds starts the game every time [and must lead this card to the first trick]. The play rotates clockwise.
• For every trick that is taken, ten points are awarded, provided that it contains no hearts.
• For every Ace won, other than the Ace of Hearts, another ten points are awarded, whether the trick contains hearts or not.
• However, for every heart that is won, points are deducted: twenty points for the Ace of Hearts and ten points for each other heart. If you take a trick with a heart in it, you do not get the points for winning the trick, but you still get the ten points for an Ace. Clubs are the trump suit in this game. The suit of clubs does not have to be broken before clubs can be played.
• A nillo is worth 100 points. ["Nillo" means taking no tricks at all, as in Spades. It's not quite clear, but presumably in this game, since there is no bidding, you don't have to announce your Nillo in advance to score the points.] There is no blind nillo.

The first person to 400 points wins. Do not be surprised if many people find themselves constantly in negative numbers. [Indeed, unless there is a Nillo, the total points available in each hand is negative: there are 140 negative points for hearts, but at most 120 positive points: 30 for aces and 90 for tricks, since at least four tricks contain hearts. therefore there is a possibility that the game will go on indefinitely. Perhaps a limit should be set on negative points - for example that a player whose score is -400 or lower loses the game.]